This invention relates to dental equipment for promoting oral hygiene and, in particular, relates to a unique and improved toothbrush for effecting more thorough cleansing of teeth and gum areas near the base of the teeth. With prior art toothbrushes it is very difficult to effectively clean the gingival margins and sulcus areas, particularly in difficult to reach portions of the mouth, because of the fixed relationship of the bristles to the handle, and also due to the large size of the bristles and handle. Further, the construction of prior art toothbrushes makes it necessary to tilt the handle both horizontally and vertically in order to reach certain areas of the teeth.
The importance of cleaning not only the tooth surfaces, but also of cleaning the gingival crevice of massaging the gums is clearly evident when it is recognized that diseases of the gums, such as gingivitis, for example, afflict approximately 65 percent of the nation's school children, and in adults, at the age of 40 for example, nearly 100 percent have some form of tooth or gum disease. If the teeth were properly cleaned, the bacteria which cause tooth and gum diseases could be significantly reduced, if not eliminated, and the incidence of disease reduced accordingly.
One of the most common and widely used dental instruments for cleaning the teeth and gums is the toothbrush, but unfortunately, for the reasons suggested above, the toothbrush is not frequently used correctly, and according to one report, the toothbrush and its use is probably responsible for only a 10 percent reduction in tooth and gum diseases.
In this connection, there are many widely recognized and proven methods for using a toothbrush, and such methods include the vertical, rolling, Fones, Stillman and Charters methods. Whichever the method used, it is desirable to thoroughly clean the interproximal areas of the teeth, as well as the buccal and lingual surfaces, and the sulcus areas at the base of the teeth. Also the occlusal surfaces of the teeth should be thoroughly cleaned. However, due to the natural arc of the teeth, and the fact that the teeth have both concave and convex surfaces and the teeth are of different sizes, on both upper and lower jaws, and teeth are frequently malposed, all tooth surfaces are usually not effectively cleaned. Also, the buccal surfaces of the posterior teeth are particularly difficult to clean because of the inward pressure of the cheek against these teeth.
Many attempts have been made in the prior art to devise a toothbrush capable of performing satisfactorily all of the above functions. However, most efforts in this regard have been directed toward different bristle configurations, whereby the bristles are constructed such that they more readily enter the interproximal areas or the gingival margins at the base of the teeth. However, even with such prior art constructions, it is very difficult to reach the lingual surfaces of the lower anterior teeth, and the buccal surfaces of the posterior teeth, as well as the gingival crevice of the posterior teeth. For example, when attempting to brush the lingual surfaces of the lower anterior teeth, it is necessary with prior art toothbrush constructions to elevate the handle of the toothbrush in order that access of the bristles to the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth can be gained. This, of course, is awkward for anyone to do, and is particularly difficult for persons suffering from arthritis or other ailments which renders it difficult for them to elevate their arms above certain positions, and it is also difficult for children to manipulate the handle in a proper manner to gain proper access to the various surfaces of the teeth. Consequently, such persons, including small children, frequently do not brush the difficult to reach surfaces of the teeth, and the incidence of disease is thereby increased.